Air India ordered a large number of aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus, totalling 470 aircraft. The order was lined up in 2023. Subsequently, Air India topped it up with another order: converting its Airbus options into firm orders, adding another 100 aircraft to its backlog. A Boeing order is also in the works. Now, there is a small tweak to the Airbus part of the order.
Air India converts part of its A321neo order to an A321XLR order
Air India announced at Wings India 2026 that it would convert 15 of its current Airbus A321neo orders to the advanced Airbus A321XLR (Extra Long Range) variant.
The conversion is part of Air India’s orders placed with Airbus in 2023, with an addition in 2024, comprising a total of 50 twin-aisle A350 and 300 single-aisle A320 Family aircraft. Of the 300 single-aisle aircraft, this conversion to A321XLR applies to 15 of the 210 A321neo aircraft ordered, while the remaining 90 A320neo remain as originally structured. Deliveries of the 15 A321XLRs are expected between 2029 and 2030.
Air India and Airbus exchange documents for the A321XLR conversion at Wings India 2026
The A321XLR, the newest variant of the A320neo Family, offers a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 kilometres). This capability will enable Air India to open new non-stop international routes and optimise high-demand, medium-haul international services, with the flight economics of a single-aisle aircraft. The move comes on the heels of IndiGo launching operations with its first A321XLR between Delhi/Mumbai and then to Athens. If Air India chooses to configure this aircraft in a 3-class configuration, they might be able to fly it between India and Europe/ India and deep East Asia as well.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Air India, said,
The strategic conversion of a portion of our single-aisle Airbus aircraft orders to the A321XLR is in line with our effort of positioning Air India for the future. While we transform our current fleet at an accelerated pace with new and retrofitted aircraft, we are also carefully building our future fleet that, with scale and versatility, serves the rapidly evolving needs of travellers from and to India. We are happy with our strong partnership with Airbus, who continue to support our vision with the latest of aviation excellence.
Benoit de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus Executive Vice President of Commercial Aircraft Sales, said,
Air India’s decision to select the A321XLR is a significant endorsement of this game-changing aircraft. The A321XLR is proving to be a revenue generator by boosting frequencies, managing seasonality, and optimising capacity on medium-haul routes. We are pleased to see Air India using the XLR’s efficiency and range to open new opportunities and strengthen India’s connections with the rest of the world.
Currently, Air India has outstanding deliveries of 542 new aircraft (including 344 with Airbus) out of its total firm orders for 600 aircraft, underscoring its commitment to building one of the world’s youngest and most efficient fleets to support India’s growing aviation ambitions.
Since its privatisation in January 2022, the Air India group has added nearly 170 aircraft to its fleet through a combination of new deliveries, strategic leases, the merger of erstwhile Vistara into Air India, and the reactivation of long-grounded aircraft, thus marking significant progress in capacity expansion and fleet modernisation.
Bottomline
Air India has converted 15 of its A321neo aircraft to A321XLR aircraft, due to be delivered between 2029 and 2030. The airline has not outlined its strategy or plans for the aircraft yet, but I’m pretty sure it is not one of the cramped configurations that IndiGo would have gone for.
What do you make of Air India’s orders for the Airbus A321XLR?
Liked our articles and our efforts? Please pay an amount you are comfortable with; an amount you believe is the fair price for the content you have consumed. Please enter an amount in the box below and click on the button to pay; you can use Netbanking, Debit/Credit Cards, UPI, QR codes, or any Wallet to pay. Every contribution helps cover the cost of the content generated for your benefit.
(Important: to receive confirmation and details of your transaction, please enter a valid email address in the pop-up form that will appear after you click the ‘Pay Now’ button. For international transactions, use Paypal to process the transaction.)
We are not putting our articles behind any paywall where you are asked to pay before you read an article. We are asking you to pay after you have read the article if you are satisfied with the quality and our efforts.
Leave a Reply